Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-06-10
THE NEW PASTOR
A. the Universalist Church welcomed
with Flowers and Coed viii.

~ the bmtVerenltst Church welcomed
with Flowers mud Coed will.
MIR. n1MAN's ANNOUNCEMENT TO HIS PEOPLE
or HIS ACCEPTANCE OF THEIR CALI.-AB-
sTRACr or HIS MORNING SERMON.
A congregation which filled the church in
every part welcomed the Rev. Mr.. Illman
at the Universalist church last Sunday
morning, when he began his pastorate prop
err A profuson Of flowers, tastefully ar
ranged, decked the church, the central
piece being a beautiful emblem upon the
pulpit front bearing the word "Welcome"
After the opening devotional services the
new pastor announced TO the people his &c
ceptance of their call and the beginning Of
his work amongst them in the following fe-
licitous words
my dear friends do not need to tell
you that have accepted your hearty and
generous invitation 10 come and be your
pastor report for duty this morning. /
am glad to be able 10 answer your invita-
ton with Eyes, and beg leave to as
sure you that that, affirmative is as full ms
the invitation was cordial ] congratulate
myself upon the reception which you have
prepared for me this morning which is so
sweetly and gracefully expressed by the
flowers in the midst Of which ! find myself,
and even more gracefully by your counte-
nances, through which ! see shining the
goodwill and devoted earnestness Of your
hearts ! take it, however, not as "A person
al compliment, but as the warrant Of your
willingness and eagerness 10 engage in the
work of our church. the work Of righteous
ness and love towards man and God You
will, Of course, never forget that that work
Is for neither Of us alone, but for all of us
together In its furtherance we are 10 bee
one in heart and energy, and it will be sue
cessful in proportion to the happiness we
bring to human hearts, the peace to earnest
minds the purity TO which we call lives
the love we inspire in the souls of earth's
children for these things God loves and
Christ labored for More than getting men
h heaven, we are to bring heaven TO men
and So far as in us lies, establish here and
now the dominion Of all things high and no
ly which is the only sulvatiun-at once its
freedom, its power, its peace. May the
Father Eternal be with us, and grant us
his blessing
with these few preliminary words
propose to take up my work as though we
had been together for years
The Hermon.
Mr. Illman then announced his text as
st Matthew tx, &c The story Of heal
ing the paralytic, he snid. contains IA strange
| mixture Of material and spiritual elements.
and has caused many brow 10 be wrink
| led over II in the vain endeavOr ~ explain
| why furgiving IA mans sins secures b. him
the Use Of his legs. Suppose, instead Of
trying 10 harmonic these elements we take
the spiritual sense in which, as Lydia
Maria Child says, all miracles are true.
and rest content with it, emblematic mean
| ing. Christ appears in this case "a IN the
case of the man at the pool who waited for
the moving of the water, and without en-
| hlenI, when be- said ~ the sinful woman in
Simeon's house THY sins are forgiven, a.
the restorer Of moral and spiritual paraI
| ytics, numb and helpless with sin
There IL significance IN Christ's com
mand ~ arise. 1t is a revelation Of Christ IS
and Gods method with human souls They
do not do the work for US they are simply
helpers Why doesn't God stretch forth IA
mighty hand and compel His will 10 be
done Simply because 1t wouldn't be done
il compelled The human heart is not like
% boulder, which physical force may place
here or there a. 1t pleases 1t is moved los
Influences. And so Gods work with mau
resolves itself into play Of influences an
| Application Of spiritual stimuli t. the souls
| Of His children. He doesn't save the
world He stimulates the world - the ne
cessty and desire ~ save itself
We all have more power than we think
We have. There are unsupported reserves
Of power in the human spirit, A. there is Of
physical power IN the body Common men
are often heroic. The soldiers who endured
the hardships Of war. faced death on thu
battlefield, bore suffering in hospital and
prison, were made of the common human
stuff that We see about us every day. Self
ish men have their moods Of generosity and
sweet liberality. Idly selfish lives occasion
ally stir themselves N sacrifice These
things, like singl. stars here and there tel
us what is beyond the common clouds of
human life. They show Us the possibiitie,
Of humanity they are glimpses Of the tru,
man
What will make these spasmodic thing
the prevailing spirit Of life What vii
drive away the clouds aud show the heav
ems filled with stars What will make thi,
sweet, pure, heroic, thoughtful, sacrificing
this Christlike life. which now seems 81
hard easy and natural Whoever solve,
that problem Is the worlds saviour a. mat
ter Of course Who has the mystery
Friends, it is no great mystery after all
for it is the simple, solemn, every dav mys
terry of love. Duties performed with Low,
in our hearts are privileges Their Difficult
~ is dissolved in kind of solemn JOY
And it makes little difference whit kind o
love you mean, so that it Is free from tn,
faint Of selhshness The romantic sent
ment, the love that is full Of gratitude, tn,
love Of penitent heart, the love that ha,
an uplifted eye Of wonder or that bows TIA,
head in awe, the love of reverence, Of hol,
trust and alteration, are alike in MAXIM
hard things easy, in rendering pure, unset
fish life more graceful and natural An,
Christ was "A new power Of love in thu
world. People were won by his sweet spir
it, and 10 his life was according to tn,
measure Of each simple and welcome
Moral paralytics, sinners held down by TIA,
henumbing weight of social aud religion
opprObrium, rose up and walked in humble
dignity again; and common men. fisher
men, tax -gatherers and others, were merry
, ed to the pitch Of martyrs.
! Love Is the saving power Of the world
and by 1t, seen in all its beauty and dignit,
in Christ, are men to rise up and walk u
sons of God as He is the Son of God
; Mr.. Illman comes 10 his new charge un
der suspicious circumstances and the en-
r tire community hope for him and his wor
! in our midst the best and highest measur
of success